Eagle football team exchanges size for speed

Last Updated on Thursday, 23 August 2012 13:44
Written by Deb Egenberger
Thursday, 23 August 2012 13:42

Most of Brady’s front line on both sides of the ball haave graduated, leaving behind only a couple of beefy players.

Loss of size and depth could be a challenge for first-year Eagle football coach Andy Seamann.

“There aren’t too many D-2 teams who can say they’ve got a 280-pound center like ours,” Seamann said, “but after that, there’s not much for size. We’re not going to replace the kind of size and talent we had last year but we’ve got good leadership and kids willing to work hard.”

Senior Matt Litzenberger will anchor the line at center with returning letter winner Dalton Simants by his side.

Things get a little thin from there but the change in personnel allows Seamann and the Eagles to offer something a little different.

“We’ll exploit speed over power,” Seamann said. “What we lost in size we’ll attempt to make up for in quickness.”

The Eagles bring back senior Zach Mann for his second campaign in the quarterback position.

“Zach came in last year a little timid but experience improved his game a lot and he’s a good team leader,” Seamann said.

Senior Michael Neimann also returns at running back.

“Michael has grown as a person and as a football player,” Seamann said. “He brings both power and speed to the field.”

And while size is an issue, depth in the backfield and at skilled positions is not, the coach said.

“We’ll be able to keep those people fresh,” he said. “We just don’t want to see any injuries up front.”

Brady takes on a new rigorous schedule set by the Nebraska School Activities Association.

Seamann said all but one opponent made the playoffs last year.

“It’s brand new and it’s going to be tougher,” he said.

The Eagles open at Maxwell on Friday in what is always a hard-fought battle, Seamann said.

Then next week, they host Bertrand, a team that made it into the quarter finals of the playoffs last year.

Also on the schedule is a strong Medicine Valley team, which enters the fall pre-season ranked at No. 10 by the Omaha World-Herald.

“None of that changes my expectations,” Seamann said. “I expect us to be in the playoffs for the fourth straight year and I believe if we stay healthy, we should get in.”

What the Eagles really want is to win the district for the first time.

That means getting past a tough Medicine Valley team as well as Hayes Center, Hitchcock County and Wallace.

“You’ve got to win one game at a time,” Seamann said.

The Eagles kick off at Maxwell at 7 p.m. Friday.

Members of the 2012 Eagle football team are (*denotes returning letter winners):

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